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Blog: This conversation is sponsored by Dawn and Cascade at Sam’s Club. Opinions are my own.Social posts: #ad

I love entertaining at home. Some may think I’m crazy, but I do enjoy planning for a party. Preparing the menu, thinking of games to play, and planning the entertainment for my guests excites me. I think it’s because growing up, my mom always had guests at home whether they are relatives, church friends, book club members or work friends. She even encourages us to invite friends over for our birthday parties or even for a simple pajama party. It’s nothing extravagant but the thing that made those parties special is that no matter how simple it is, she made sure it’s well planned and memorable for all of us.

Being a mom now, I want my kids to experience what I experienced growing up. I want them to have the joy of having lots of memories with us, with family and with friends, that’s why I’m known not to pass on hosting a party. I want our home to be filled with laughter and fond memories of a good company of people we love. But I do understand why hosting a party can be a scary task for some. Without proper planning, it can be a daunting task filled with stress.

That is why we are sharing our party tips because we want you to not only throw the perfect party but to enjoy throwing it. The holiday season is almost in full swing, so take this opportunity to invite friends and family over and create those memories that will last a lifetime.

Stress-Free Party Planning Tips

We are still talking about managing our debt so why are we talking about meal plans? Let me go back to my story. I had a goal it was to pay for prepaid college for my daughter. I didn’t have the $281.00 a month to do that. I cried.

I cried because it is hard to not be able to do for your children. I cried because I had agreed to be a stay at home mom and I didn’t have the ability to add to the income of our house. I cried because it was the first time I really wanted something and I couldn’t have it for our child.

Then I decided I can do this. I can use the money we had in a way that would allow me to provide for my child’s future. That is what I did. You can still follow my path and write out your budget. I suggest starting with this post >>> How to Save Money Using a Calendar

Are you or a family member have a gluten allergy? Maybe you’re not sure what food is gluten-free and what is not. Don’t worry! We want to help you out with meal planning with our All Gluten Free Pressure Cooker Meals that are easy to make and so tasty. These are perfect and can be enjoyed by everyone in the family even those who don’t have a gluten allergy. Make sure to print our gluten free pressure cooker menu below.

All Gluten Free Pressure Cooker Meals

I believe every person struggles with what to cook for their family. I struggled so much I used to avoid the thought until someone came downstairs and demanded dinner. I would open up the refrigerator and stand there. I do not know what I expected to happen but the chef I hoped for didn’t tumble out of my freezer.

I realized a couple of things that not planning resulted in. The first was my food budget was out of control. I mean truly mortifying. The second thing I realized is when I walked around the store and threw things in the basket I got home, and nothing went together. The third and most embarrassing thing is we began to throw away a lot of food.

The worst part about all of it is I felt I was failing. Then one day I saw a 7-day meal plan. I figured I could do anything for seven days, so I went through my families favorite recipes, and I wrote down a list of 30. I then created a calendar. I pulled out my family calendar to see what nights I should cook what meal on.

I felt like a rock star. I had a plan and for the first time in years. I wasn’t anxious when I opened up my refrigerator. Then something even better happened.

I figured out that I could double up some of my favorite recipes which saved me time and money and then the next month I would have less to cook. I find that using a calendar and a plan has helped me to become the mom I wanted to be. I no longer hide in the bathroom or the closet. Yes, I have done both hoping they found something to eat so I wouldn’t have to cook.

I use my calendar to save both money and time. You can read about how I have saved thousands using a calendar in this post How to save money using a calendar.

These are tried and true menu ideas that are easy, healthy quick meals that will not drain your bank account or your energy reserve.

Easy, Healthy, Quick Meals Free Printable Monthly Menu Calendar

February 2018 Free Printable Menu Calendar

Preparing meals for the family can be hard. We want our family to eat healthy but at the same time we want something delicious, something kids will like to eat and of course we want something easy to make. That’s why we decided to prepare menu plans! This will make planning easier. Hope you will like our chosen all gluten free recipes for this month’s family dinner menu calendar.

Weight Watcher’s Valentine’s Day Meal Ideas

I weigh as much right now as I did when I was 42 weeks pregnant with my son who is 9 years old!!!! Yikes! (and yes you read that right, we went two weeks overdue!) While, I would not trade him for anything not even to be a size 8 again, I do think this is a wake up call to do something about my size. I wrote about getting back to balance by making one healthy choice at a time and finding ways to hold myself accountable and stay motivated. So as I contemplate Valentine’s Day coming this weekend I must confess I am the type of person who over indulges just because it is a holiday. I use holidays as an excuse to eat whatever I want. The problem with cutting yourself some slack (or in my case a lot of slack) to celebrate a holiday is that there is always another holiday coming. Even now as we have not yet celebrated Valentine’s Day the stores are getting ready Easter. So I thought I would share some recipes for a Valentine’s Dinner that will help me stay on track but still feel like I am celebrating and indulging just a bit.